Hair Retaining Device

ABSTRACT

A hair retaining device is provided. The hair retaining device includes a tubular base member which defines an interior volume. When the hair retaining device is worn the tubular base member surrounds a length of a wearer&#39;s hair. The tubular base member has a first terminal end and a second terminal end. A flexible opening on the first terminal end can be widened to allow a wearer to pass their hair therethrough. A strap is disposed outwardly from the second terminal end of the tubular member with a clip disposed on a distal end of the strap. The clip can be utilized to secure the hair retaining device to an article of the wearer&#39;s clothes. The hair retaining device can contain a wearer&#39;s hair while still allowing the wearer to move around in an unrestricted fashion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/853,427 filed on May 28, 2019. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hair accessories. More particularly,the present invention provides for a hair restraining device which canbe worn around a length of a wearer's hair, thereby containing the hairwhile still allowing the wearer to move around in an unrestrictedfashion.

Many people with long hair need to be very careful with their hair whileworking; whether they happen to work in a restaurant, grocery store,industrial plant, construction site, or other similar environments.These individuals must secure their hair in order to avoid seriousinjury or contamination. For example, when the individual is workingaround heavy machinery, their hair could become entangled with themachines moving parts. This can lead to serious injury as theindividual's hair is pulled by the machine resulting in the individualbeing pulled along with it. In another example, where the individual isworking around food, it is unsanitary to have the individual's hair comeinto contact with food and kitchen equipment. Similarly, in the medicalfield, long hair can lead to unsanitary conditions as well as medicalcomplications from contamination.

Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to hairaccessories. These include devices that have been patented and disclosedin patent application publications. However, the devices in the knownart have several drawbacks. Some people utilize hair ties and hair netsin an attempt to isolate their hair from the environment. However, hairties only loosely hold the individual's hair together, and are notadequate for preventing the hair from contacting items such as food orthe moving parts of a machine. Despite being relatively contained, haircan still make its way into such things. Hairnets gather theindividual's hair in one place, but where the individual has a lot ofhair, some of the hair may fall out of the hairnet as the individualmoves around. Additionally, hair nets are not aesthetically pleasing andmay be the source of ridicule from the individual's peers.

The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from theknown art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the artfor an improvement to existing hair containment devices. In this regardthe present invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofhair accessories now present in the art, the present invention providesa hair restraining device wherein the same can be worn around a lengthof a wearer's hair, thereby containing the hair while still allowing thewearer to move around in an unrestricted fashion. The present hairretaining device comprises a tubular base member which defines aninterior volume. When the hair retaining device is worn the tubular basemember surrounds a length of a wearer's hair. The tubular base memberhas a first terminal end and a second terminal end. A flexible openingon the first terminal end can be widened to allow a wearer to pass theirhair therethrough. A strap is disposed outwardly from the secondterminal end of the tubular member with a clip disposed on a distal endof the strap. The clip can be utilized to secure the hair retainingdevice to an article of the wearer's clothes. The hair retaining devicecan contain a wearer's hair while still allowing the wearer to movearound in an unrestricted fashion.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the hair restrainingdevice.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the hairrestraining device.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the hair restrainingdevice in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the hair restraining device. For the purposes of presentinga brief and clear description of the present invention, a preferredembodiment will be discussed as used for the hair restraining device.The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should notbe considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of anembodiment of the hair restraining device. In the shown embodiment, thehair restraining device comprises a tubular base member 100 whichdefines an interior volume 110. In one embodiment, the tubular basemember 100 is a textile such as a cloth or woven fabric. One of ordinaryskill in the art will understand that the textile can be a flexiblematerial consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers that isformed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, braiding, or othersuch physical manipulation of the fibers to form a continuous basemember. The tubular base member 100 is configured to surround a lengthof a wearer's hair. In some embodiments, the tubular base member 100 isconfigured to prevent the strands of a wearer's hair from becomingentangled within the material of the tubular base member 100. In someembodiments, the tubular base member 100 is sized to surround thewearer's hair from their scalp to the end of their strands of hair whenthe hair is gathered together into a ponytail hairstyle. In otherembodiments, the tubular base member 100 is sized to surround a portionof the wearer's hair, such that the tubular base member 100 gathers thestrands of the wearer's hair together but does not encapsulate theentire length of the wearer's hair to the tip. In these embodiments, thewearer is able to contain and retain some of their hair within theinterior volume 110, while the remainder of their hair is able to passthrough and out the bottom of the tubular base member 100.

The tubular base member 100 has a first terminal end 101 and a secondterminal end 102. The tubular base member 100 has a flexible opening 120on the first terminal end 101. In the shown embodiment, the flexibleopening 120 is configured to widen in order to allow the wearer's hairto pass therethrough. The flexible opening 120 is biased to a partiallyclosed configuration, wherein the diameter of the flexible opening 120is less than the diameter of the tubular base member 100. By flexing,and thereby enlarging, the flexible opening 120, the wearer can moreeasily thread their hair into the interior volume 110 of the tubularbase member 100. Once the wearer's hair is threaded into the interiorvolume 110, the flexible opening 120 can retract back to the partiallyclosed configuration. In such a manner, the wearer's hair can be heldtogether, and in place, by friction between the flexible opening 120 andthe wearer's hair.

In some embodiments, the tubular base member 100 has a second flexibleopening on the second terminal end 102. The second flexible openingprovides the same advantages of the flexible opening 120, in that thesecond flexible opening can be enlarged to allow a portion of thewearer's hair to pass therethrough, and the second flexible opening canalso retract against the wearer's hair to provide another point at whichthe wearer's hair is retained. In some embodiments, the second terminalend 102 is closed in order to fully contain the wearer's hair down tothe tips. In further embodiments, the second terminal end 102 includes afastener, such that a user can select whether to allow the tips of theirhair to pass through the second terminal end 102, or to be retainedwithin the interior volume 110. In some embodiments, the tubular basemember 100 comprises an elastic material. In such embodiments, thetubular base member 100, itself, can expand and compress in order toaccommodate different amounts of the wearer's hair, and further retainthe hair in the interior volume 110.

A strap 130 is disposed outwardly from the second terminal end 102 ofthe tubular base member 100. In one embodiment, the strap 130 isflexible in order to provide freedom of movement when the strap 130 issecured, as detailed below. In one embodiment, a length of the strap 130is selectively adjustable. In a further embodiment, the strap 130further comprises a buckle in order to selectively adjust the length ofthe strap 130. When the hair is contained within the interior volume110, the strap 130 can be adjusted such that the device is not puttingany strain on the hair. In the shown embodiment, the strap 130 is aplanar band that is secured to the tubular base member 100 on a bottomrear portion of the tubular base member 100. Further, in the shownembodiment the strap 130 is folded over itself on a distal end.

A clip 140 is disposed on a distal end of the strap 130. The clip 140enables a wearer to secure the hair retaining device to a desiredsurface. In one embodiment, the clip 140 is configured to attach to awearer's clothing. For example, in the shown embodiment, the clip 140 isutilized to secure the strap 130, and therefore the hair retainingdevice, to the waistband of a wearer's pants. In a further embodiment,the clip 140 is spring biased to return to a closed position.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of analternate embodiment of the hair restraining device. In the shownembodiment, the hair restraining device comprises a planar base member200 having a first side 201 and a second side 202. The first side 201and the second side 202 are opposing lateral edges of the planar basemember 200. The planar base member 200 can be the same material as thetubular base member, as described above. In one embodiment, the planarbase member 200 comprises an elastic material and can be folded orrolled onto itself without damaging the planar base member 200. In afurther embodiment, the planar base member 200 is a textile such as acloth or woven fabric. The planar base member 200 has an interiorsurface 210 and an exterior surface 220. The interior surface 210 isconfigured to contact a length of a wearer's hair and surrounds the hairwhen the first side 201 of the planar base member 200 is fastened to thesecond side 202, as further detailed below. The planar base member 200provides the advantage of being lower profile and having the ability tolay flatter than the tubular base member. This lower profile isdesirable in that it is easier to conceal the hair restraining devicebeneath the clothing of a wearer without an unseemly mass or lumpshowing under the clothes.

In some embodiments, the planar base member 200 is configured to preventthe strands of the wearer's hair from becoming entangled within thematerial of the planar base member 200. In the shown embodiment, a hairtie clip 250 is disposed on a top inner surface of the planar basemember 200. The hair tie clip 250 is an annular clip that can securebetween a hair tie and the wearer's hair. The hair tie clip 250 canremovably secure to a hair tie in order to keep the planar base member200 in place (as shown in FIG. 3, below).

In one embodiment, a plurality of fasteners 230 are disposed on thefirst side 201 of the planar base member 200. In the shown embodiment,the plurality of fasteners 230 is disposed along a length of the firstside 201 in a linear manner. A plurality of complementary receivers 240are disposed on the second side 202 of the planar base member 200. Eachof the receivers 240 is configured to receive one of the fasteners 230.By selectively securing the fasteners 230 to the receivers 240, a weareris able to removably secure the two sides 201, 202 to each other inorder to obtain a tubular formation. In the shown embodiment, thefasteners 230 are snaps and the receivers 240 are complementaryreceivers to the snaps. One of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat the fasteners 230 and receivers 240 can be snaps, buttons, hook andloop material, or a variety of similar fasteners.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of anembodiment of the hair restraining device in use. In use, an individualcan prepare their hair 300 by gathering it together in preparation toutilize a hair restraining device. In the embodiments with a flexibleopening, the flexible opening 120 can be stretched in order to allow forthe individual's hair 300 to be passed therethrough and into theinterior volume. In the embodiments with a planar base member, theplanar base member can be un-fastened, and the individual's hair 300placed against the interior surface of the planar base member. The hairtie clip 250 can be secured to a hair tie 320 in order to maintain theplanar base member in a desired position. The fasteners and receiverscan be utilized to attach the first and second sides of the planar basemember to each other thereby encircling the hair 300 of the individual.Once the individual's hair 300 is retained within the hair restrainingdevice, the individual can thread the hair retaining device beneaththeir clothing 310, if so desired. The clip 140 can be utilized toattach the device to a desired surface such as a belt or waistband 311of the individual's clothing. The length of the strap 130 can then beadjusted in order to secure the hair restraining device, while stillproviding freedom of movement to the individual. In this manner, thehair retaining device can contain a wearer's hair 300, therebypreventing the hair 300 from contaminating items such as food. The hairretaining device can also aid in preventing the hair 300 from gettingcaught by heavy machinery, while still allowing the wearer to movearound in an unrestricted fashion.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) A hair retaining device, comprising: a tubular base memberdefining an interior volume; the tubular base member configured tosurround a length of a wearer's hair; the tubular base member having afirst terminal end and a second terminal end; the tubular base memberfurther comprising a flexible opening on a first terminal end; theflexible opening configured to widen to allow hair to pass therethrough;a strap disposed outwardly from the second terminal end of the tubularbase member; a clip disposed on a distal end of the strap. 2) The hairretaining device of claim 1, wherein the strap is flexible. 3) The hairretaining device of claim 1, wherein the tubular base member comprisesan elastic material. 4) The hair retaining device of claim 1, whereinthe tubular base member is a textile. 5) The hair retaining device ofclaim 1, wherein a length of the strap is selectively adjustable. 6) Thehair retaining device of claim 1, wherein the clip is configured toattach to a wearer's clothing. 7) A hair retaining device, comprising: aplanar base member having a first side and a second side, wherein thefirst side and the second side are opposing lateral edges of the basemember; a plurality of fasteners disposed on the first side of theplanar base member; a plurality of complementary receivers disposed onthe second side of the planar base member; wherein each of the pluralityof complementary receivers is configured to receive one of the pluralityof fasteners; a strap disposed outwardly from a lower longitudinal edgeof the planar base member; a clip disposed on a distal end of the strap.8) The hair retaining device of claim 7, wherein the strap is flexible.9) The hair retaining device of claim 7, wherein the planar basecomprises an elastic material. 10) The hair retaining device of claim 7,wherein the planar base is a textile. 11) The hair retaining device ofclaim 7, wherein a length of the strap is selectively adjustable. 12)The hair retaining device of claim 7, wherein the clip is configured toattach to a wearer's clothing. 13) The hair retaining device of claim 8,wherein the planar base is configured to surround a length of a wearer'shair.